He scored yes, but it was the simplist of tap-ins, which was basically gift-wrapped and handed to him on a silver platter by their keeper.
The truth is, Sturrock still doesn't know his best strike force, and has to keep trying new things. The problem is, none of our strikers have stepped up to the mantle. They might have ability, but that is irrelevent if they're not producing, on the pitch and in front of goal.
Then you have to question; are they actually good enough?
- Paterson - shows great vision and nice touches but is reletively slow and as weak as a kitten
- Spencer - The paciest of the lot, but again quite weak and looks very ineffective 90% of the time
- Corr - battering ram up top, but won't score shedloads. Not a problem, as long as your team mates are scoring goals.
- Sturrock - Tries and tries, but not a goalscorer. Same boat as Corr, not a problem if others in the team are scoring, but when our goalscoring hopes are rested on their shoulders, are you overly confident?
Coughlan is the slowest man in living history and is very much prone to a foul. I can see him costing us goals and subsequent points if he is a regular in the starting XI
Up againts the speed of who? Northampton had absolutely nothing! Bilel had lost it, he should have been subbed.
I can assure you that he isn't --- but he may be the second slowest.
I'm not pointing to yesterday as an example, instead i'm just suggesting that Coughlan could be more hinderence than help.
I'm not saying that Coughlan should play every game, just yesterday, Bilel had completely lost his head, his positioning was awful and he was running around like a headless chicken. Coughlan could have come on and settled things down.
Bilel is a talent, but he's been getting all the rave reviews and press, yesterday showed that he is a long way off the finished article, but his enthusisam and natural talent will I am sure show in the end.
I did say from the first couple of friendlies he played that he looks good at times but does make some big errors.
We cant expect the finished article and he has a lot of potential.
I see the logic in bringing coughlan on, but the flip side is what it does to Bilels confidence.
Remember seeing Coughlan in his younger days playing for Livingston where he wasn't the quickest.He did read the game well though(in my opinion !).Being slow hasn't stopped Terry,Carragher,Dunne,Vidic from having good careers.It's not all about pace.Coughlan is the slowest man in living history and is very much prone to a foul. I can see him costing us goals and subsequent points if he is a regular in the starting XI
Everyone 0/10 That's why they're at a League 2 club in crisis. It's not tricky, is it?
Definitely agree that we definitely lost this game because of our lack of a 20 goal a season striker and our defeat had definitely nothing to do with us conceding two goals and being unable to defend a lead.
Obviously the only sane response to conceding two goals is to demand that we sign a forward.
Bilel : 5 Not a great game from him today. Poor distribution and looked an accident waiting to happen. Was involved in both goals and we nearly conceded a third due to his static defending. It looked like he was clearly fouled for the second . There player had both hands all over him and climbed on him.
I've been discussing the proper striker subject from the first week of the season. Nobody can change my mind on Blair Sturrock, only Blair Sturrock if a miracle happens. Away from home, a backs to goal striker is only good if you are protecting a lead. You need someone with pace to attack and run at the defenders and get in behind them, and of course, a better finisher. Listening on the radio today, Northampton were there for the taking, for 60 minutes they were terrible at the back. and yet you still wouldn't back Sturrock to score. Paul Clarke said that someone up there with pace would have a field day, as their centre of defence was so slow.